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April 21, 2006
The Atchafalaya Swamp
I told my neighbor I was going on vacation and he was like "A vacation from what? You don't even have a job. How could you need a vacation?" But I do need a vacation. Trust me on this one.
Today, I got my new Canon lens, the Canon 100-400mm IS USM L-series. It's basically a wildlife photography lens. The 17-85mm lens that came with my camera is a great lens, but I wanted a lens that would get me in a little closer to the action. This one ought to do it. It's absurdly large. It's roughly the size of a shoulder-fired RPG. I'm not sure what the official weight is, but I'd say it weighs approximately the same as a Spanish galleon's brass cannon.
The lens is so heavy, that it actually has a tripod mount on the lens. This is a good thing, as the center of balance of the lens and camera is clearly at the base of the lens. But, this means I have to remove the tripod mount from the camera and put it on the lens when I change lenses. A major pain. Or else, get another tripod mount. Then, I could have one on the camera and one on the lens.
So, if you can get past the fact that the lens is so large that it should come mounted on a dual axle trailer with brakes, once you get it set up on a tripod with a remote shutter release, it is an impressive lens. The autofocus is blindingly fast. And it does bring you up close and personal to whatever you point it at. I'm not sure about the sliding ring zoom though. Will have to play with it some more.
I tried using the new lens walking around Morrison today. It's really not a practical lens for anything except wildlife photography though. In town, anything you want to shoot, you inevitably find that you're too close to, and you spend a lot of time walking backwards. I remember when I saw some idiot walking around the Renaissance Fair last year in Castle Rock. He had a 300 mm lens on his Canon. At the time, I was impressed. Now, though, I'm wondering WTF he was carrying that monstrosity around for.
Plus, the lens draws a lot of attention. It's white, which is ostensibly to keep the lens cool. But it also draws a lot of attention. This is not always a good thing. I mean, when you're walking around with this thing, you're going to draw the attention of every securocrat on earth. No one is going to buy that you're just a casual photographer shooting images as a hobby.
I'm hoping that, in the swamps, this lens will allow me to get close enough to get some decent shots. The last time I was in the Atchafalaya (pronounced Chaff-uh-LIE-uh) Basin was in May of 2004. Spring is the best time of year to be there because this is when all of the baby alligators, Ibis, herons, egret, and nutria are emerging to explore the world for the first time. Also, it's crawfish season so, if I don't come back with any good images, at least I'll get to eat some good crawfish, new potatoes, bread pudding, and Dixie beer.
Some of the places I hope to shoot are:
Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge
Sherburne Wildlife Management Area
Indian Bayou
Jungle Gardens on Avery Island
http://www.nigeldennis.com/
http://www.moosepeterson.com/phototips/index.html
Posted by Peenie Wallie on April 21, 2006 at 4:37 AM
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